Map of Lehigh with Path to Prominence Fall 2018

My Digital Object: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1lNzK-Fo4llpH7PJDOpYGlGCLjyuc5yKE&usp=sharing


Title: Map Demonstrating Impact of Path to Prominence on My Daily Life


Author: Alec B. Krueger


Date: December 14, 2018


Description: The map I have created is representative of all data about my life as a student that has been determined thus far in my academic career.  I have broken the Map into six categories: Formula SAE, Education Buildings, Recreational Facilities, Lehigh Dining, Housing, and New Buildings.  Descriptions of each location are provided.


Format: Interactive Map


Subject: Map, Bethlehem, Path to Prominence, College Expansion


Rights: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)


Source: Google My Maps, Path to Prominence Website, Construction Model of Path to Prominence (Admissions Building)


 

 

Synopsis:

I sought to create a digital object that would encompass the average student’s day to day life and how the implementation of the Path to Prominence will affect them.  To do so, I created a Map that highlights some of my on-campus activity and a little bit of off-campus activity.  Every point I have created was done so with the intent of demonstrating the impact of the Path to Prominence.  In creating such a map, my hope is to communicate with students 25 years from now the challenges Lehigh’s expansion caused for students.

My map is broken into six categories: Formula SAE, Education Buildings, Recreational Facilities, Lehigh Dining, Housing, and New Buildings.  Each of these categories is described below and every point on my map includes a description of why it is important to me or the student body as a whole.

Formula SAE: Any region of campus that has been deemed relevant to the Formula SAE Racing Team.  I am a member of this club and it consumes much of my free time.

Education Buildings: Any building that I have personally had classes in or will have classes in soon.

Recreational Facilities: All locations on campus I study in or spend my free time.

Lehigh Dining: All facilities that I have personally dined at on campus.

Housing: All locations I have lived at or plan to live in.

New Buildings: All buildings on campus that have been affected by or created by the Path to Prominence.

After creating this map, I realized how extensive the impact of the Path to Prominence is on both myself and the Bethlehem Community.  Considering Lehigh’s previous expansions into South Bethlehem, this one is far less intrusive but the effects are definitely still present.

The trend of colleges improving campuses and growing campus population seems to be very common in recent years all across the region.  Colleges such as Lafayette and Muhlenberg have made similar announcements as they seek to increase student populations to become more competitive (Tatu).

Part of the reason for the need to expand colleges nationwide is the growing desire for American education.  More and more foreign countries are subsidizing education from the United States to encourage their youth to get an education abroad (Soliz).   Another major reason for college expansion is an increase in the diversity of college students coming from within America.  Many minorities, particularly African Americans, have been rapidly increasing their representation in higher education (Freeman).

With the increased number of applicants seeking education at American institutions, many schools have seen falling acceptance rates.  As a result, many schools have decided to capitalize on the growing market for education by increasing their size.  Additionally, many are improving current facilities to make their institutions more appealing as the market for education becomes more competitive.  At Lehigh, the Path to Prominence is our way of expanding in order to stay on pace with the growing market.  Additionally, the Path to Prominence hopes to increase the profitability of Lehigh to allow for continued growth, improvement, and expansion into the future.

The Path to Prominence is one of the more aggressive college expansion plans as it seeks to increase the undergraduate population by 20 percent and the graduate population by 35 percent (Anderson).  To handle all the additional students, Lehigh plans to improve or build more than ten buildings around campus in the next five years.  Additionally, the Path to Prominence calls for the opening of a new College of Health that will become home to approximately 800 students (Palochko).

For many students around campus currently, we will not experience the benefits of the Path to Prominence in our time here.  Instead, we will witness the construction and improvement all around us without reaping any real benefits.  While the construction may not be ideal, there have been few noticeable changes around campus other than the constant hum of construction in the background.  I personally feel that upon the completion of the Path to Prominence, these noises will continue to fill the air as Southside Bethlehem continues to see its own construction and improvement.  Regardless, all of the construction both on and off campus will benefit the students of Lehigh for years to come.

 

 

Works Cited

Soliz, Adela. “The Effects of the Expansion of For-Profit Colleges on Student Enrollments and            Outcomes at Community Colleges.” Educational Evaluation & Policy Analysis, vol. 40,     no. 4, Dec. 2018, pp. 631–652. EBSCOhost, doi:10.3102/0162373718795053.

Freeman A. Hrabowski, III. “Broadening Participation in American Higher Education—A            Special Focus on the Underrepresentation of African Americans in STEM            Disciplines.” The Journal of Negro Education, vol. 87, no. 2, 2018, pp. 99–109. JSTOR,            JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/10.7709/jnegroeducation.87.2.0099

Anderson, Nick. “Lehigh Aims to Expand 20 Percent, Add Health College.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 6 Jan. 2017, www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2017/01/06/lehigh-aims-to-expand-20-percent-add-health-college/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.ee90e29e6886.

Palochko, Jacqueline. “As Part of Major Expansion Plan, Lehigh University Sets 2020 Date for New College.” Themorningcall.com, 10 Jan. 2018, www.mcall.com/news/local/mc-nws-lehigh-university-college-of-health-20180105-story.html.

Tatu, Christina. “As Lafayette College Buys Land, Residents Wonder How Much of College Hill It Wants to Own.” Themorningcall.com, 4 Mar. 2018, www.mcall.com/news/local/easton/mc-nws-easton-college-hill-homes-20171129-story.html.